I don’t do as many conventions as I used to. I’m not as young as I used to be, travel and hotels are phenomenally more expensive than ever, and my time away from home can’t be lengthy now that I’m a dad. But there are still a handful of shows that I make certain to apply for, and one of them is this very weekend: Anime Boston.
I have a lot of history with this show. It was at the very first Anime Boston that I had my very first Artist Alley table. I snagged it for under $50 the week of the show (ah, the old days). It was at that debut show that I met folks who would go on to be not only important to my career, but lifelong friends. It was at the second Anime Boston that I premiered my “Writing Unique Heroes & Memorable Villains” talk, which I would give at conventions up and down the east coast for years. And it was the post-pandemic Anime Boston that someone referred to purchasing my books as their “nostalgia buy for the weekend,” which was one of the coolest things ever.
The crowd is always a blast. The people who come to my table are always friendly. My table neighbors are always kind. I don’t have to travel out-of-state for the show, so I get to sleep in my own bed every night. Anime Boston is always a good time.
It’s also always exhausting. For whatever reason, Anime Boston keeps their Artist Alley open for a long time. A very long time. I’m looking at 10-11 hour days this weekend. Some conventions used to keep the Artist Alley open 24 hours, and I’m glad Anime Boston never did such a thing. But like I said at the beginning of today’s blog, I’m not as young as I used to be, and these marathon days wear on me a lot harder than they used to.
I’m still looking forward to my weekend, and if you’re in the area, come by and say hi to me at the show!